REVIEW: Bar Mitzvah Boy, Upstairs At The Gatehouse ✭✭✭

Bar Mitzvah Boy

Bar Mitzvah Boy Upstairs At The Gatehouse 11 March 2015 3 Stars BOOK NOW Originally produced in 1978 in London, Bar Mitzvah Boy with a score by Jule Styne and lyrics by Don Black didn’t last closing after 78 performances. In this reworked production, Don Black has unearthed some unused Styne melodies and given them lyrics to flesh out characters and a complete book revision has been undertaken by David Thompson. Bar Mitzvah Boy is the story of Eliot Green who is about to undertake his Bar Mitzvah and his family. Much to the dismay of his family he flees the synagogue during the ceremony, leaving his family in pieces. Bar Mitzvah Boy is very much a tale of a middle class London family. Family politics pervade throughout. Dinner with the Green’s is an affair to be navigated with extreme caution as Harold, boyfriend to Eliot’s sister Lesley discovers. Prior … Read more

Five Reasons To See: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time

We recently paid a visit to the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the Gielgud Theatre. Here are our top 5 reasons to see this remarkable piece of theatre:- 1) The test of time To withstand the test of time in London’s West End is no mean feat – particularly during a recession. As with The National Theatre’s runaway success War Horse, the enduring popularity of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time came to many as a surprise; not because it wasn’t worthy of sell-out shows and five star reviews – far from it – but simply because in 2012, when Curious Incident premiered at the Cottesloe Theatre, times were particularly tough for everyone. Since then Curious Incident has been unstoppable, receiving seven Olivier Awards and taking home Best New Play at the 2013 Whatsonstage Awards. Even when … Read more

REVIEW: Merit, Finborough Theatre ✭✭✭

Merit at the Finborough Theatre

Merit at The Finborough by Alexandra Wood explores the unravelling relationship between a mother and daughter during the financial crash in 2013 Spain. A fast paced two-hander, the play confronts the morality of ambition, the nature of altruism and how success affects our responsibilities to family and friends.

REVIEW: Hello Norma Jean, Park Theatre ✭✭

Hello Norma Jeane

Hello Norma Jeane The Park Theatre 24th February 2016 2 stars Marilyn Monroe remains one of Hollywood’s most intriguingly enigmatic figures – adored by so many, yet understood by so few. In many ways, she typifies the distinction between private and public identities, a theme that is at the centre of Hello Norma Jeane. The protagonist is Lynnie (Vicki Michelle), an elderly woman with a failing memory, and a tremendous secret. Escaping her Essex nursing home, she is tracked by her grandson Joe (Jamie Hutchins) to a Los Angeles motel. Here she reveals that she is Marilyn Monroe, having faked her death decades earlier. Joe desperately wants this to be true, not least because it might mend his relationship with his abusive partner Scott. When ‘CIA Agent’ Bobby (Peter McPherson) bursts onto the scene, claiming to be searching for Marilyn, Joe is convinced. Yet we soon discover that Bobby is … Read more